#nosugaradded

Cocoa Walnut Pecan Banada Bread (No Sugar Added)

(Recipe by @Andria.Cooks on Instagram)

I love banana bread and I have a couple of amazing recipes but I’ve been on a processed sugar detox of late and have been really craving it.  What better way to satisfy a craving than to create a sugar free version of one of my favorite recipes!  This is perectly sweetened using organic dates and over ripe bananas as my sugar subsitute.  I added bananas like I normally would, I added unsweetned cocao for that rich chocolate flavour, and for extra moisture, I added 1/2 cup of 0% fat plain greek yogurt. It’s high in protein and really balances all the flavours really well!  

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!  If you really love it sweet, add more dates than the recipe calls for, when it bakes, it has a natural caramel taste!  If you make it, let me know how it turns out!

INGREDIENTS: ½ cup of organic butter melted

Sugar Subsitute:  7 Organic dates pitted and chopped & 2 extra ripe medium organic bananas (Add more dates if you like it sweeter)

2 Eggs

1 tsp organic Madagascar vanilla extract (or vanilla extract)

3 medium ripe organic bananas

¼ tsp of organic cinnamon

1 ¼ cups organic all purpose flour

¼ cup organic unseated cocoa 

1 tsp organic baking soda

½ tsp pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt)

½ cup 0% Organic plain greek yogurt

¼ cup chopped organic walnuts 

¼ cup chopped organic pecans 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (grease loaf pan or add parchment Paper)

Cut open the dates and remove the pit and then add to a mini chopper.  Chop until the dates are fine like a paste.  Add in the 2 ripe banans and continue to chop until it’s all blended (This makes approx 1 cup - which is a 1 to 1 replacement for the sugar). 

In a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup of melted melted butter and the date/banana mixture and blend with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix on low speed until blended and lastly add the vanilla extract and give it last mix until combined.

In a seperate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and I alwasy sift it all together so it’s mixed but also adds air and it makes cakes light and fluffy!  Slowly add it to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until smooth. Add the Smashed up the bananas and mix until combined (don’t over mix, you still want some chunks of bananas in there)

Remove from stand and fold the 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and add the chopped walnuts and pecans and then spread evenly into lined loaf pan. Add a few crushed walnuts and pecans to the top before placing it in the oven for a nice texture on the top. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 mins. Check the centre with a tooth pick and if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Cool in loaf pan for 10 mins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  

By now almost everyone has heard about no -baking cakes and raw desserts. The question is, has everyone tried them? Based on my experience they are “love it” or “hate it” kind od deal. My first encounter with a raw cake was at my sister’s place - and I loved it. What surprises me, is that there were people who don’t even want to try it because it is “too raw”! Come on, it is a dessert not a chicken breast!

That said, did you know that there are multiple benefits of raw desserts? The main sweetener for these desserts are fresh fruit, while in classic cakes huge amount of refined sugar are inevitable. We all know all the ugly truths about the refined sugar, so I always try to stay aware about new kinds of sweets which are as tasty but healthier for me and my family. That is how I ended up switching to raw desserts in our day to day life, and I intend to include them in my children’s diet when they start eating solids. For you, I challenge you to try my Universal Raw Cake recipe. This recipe allows you to play with the ingredients, exchange them, experiment, turn on your imagination! Let me know your thoughts!

Universal Raw Cake recipe

Cake layer:

• ½ cup of ground walnuts or hazelnuts or almonds

• 1 cup dates or dry plums or dry apricots

• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut or sesame (I prefer sesame :-) )

Cream:

• 2 cups cashew nuts (soaked)

• 3/4 cup cocoa butter or coconut butter

• juice from two 2 limes or 1 lemon or 1 small orange

• 1 cup blueberries or blackberries (fresh or thawed)

• 4 table spoons of agave syrup, maple syrup or honey

• ½ cup of frozen or fresh raspberries or strawberries

• decoration e.g. a few mint leaves

For the cake layer, cut the dry fruits in small peaces and mix all the ingredients together. I goes easy with any kind of shredder. Put the mixture in the mold and press with your fingers to evenly cover the entire bottom.

For the cream, put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until the mixture becomes a smooth creamy texture. If the mixture is too dense, add little bit water in a blender. Pour the cream into the cake mold, over the layer. For decoration, sprinkle frozen raspberries or strawberries over the cake and add mint leaves. It should be in a fridge at least for 4h.

Let me know how you liked it and if you have new ideas for the recipe.